News

A WBUR On Point radio segment discussed dementia-specific advance directives to lay out medical care for people with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Guest host Indira Lakshmanan interviewed Dr. Barak Gaster from the University of Washington School of Medicine, Dr. Darby Morhardt from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, and Dr. Reisa Sperling from the Center for Alzheimer's Research and Treatment at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

Northwestern CNADC Neuropsychologist Sandra Weintraub describes what the cognitive test President Trump took exposes about him. He scored 30 out of 30 on this test, but that doesn’t reveal a significant difference between his mental well-being and yours.

A multi-organization team of scientists has discovered a novel mechanism for how a gene mutation leads to the death of neurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and the related disease frontotemporal dementia (FTD), findings which could inform the development of new treatments.

For those with dementia, taking in art can stimulate emotions, trigger conversation and help old memories resurface, said Dr. Borna Bonakdarpour, assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern University's Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer Disease Center. It can also become a form of self-expression if other forms, like verbal communication, fade.

Brain aging is inevitable to some extent, but not uniform; it affects everyone, or every brain, differently. Slowing down brain aging or stopping it altogether would be the ultimate elixir to achieve eternal youth. Is brain aging a slippery slope that we need to accept? Or are there steps we can take to reduce the rate of decline?

On June 25th, ITA Executive Director Jenni Rook and the CNADC's Dr. Borna Bonakdarpour teamed up for Tuning Into the Musical Mind — an educational event filled with cutting-edge dialogue that addressed the capacity for the human brain to respond constructively to music. The event featured individual presentations from Rook and Bonakdarpour that affirmed neurologic effects of music on the human brain and introduced music as a device of therapy.

A diagnosis of frontotemporal degeneration (FTD), an incurable degenerative brain disease, can be overwhelming. As runners converged for the 2017 Super Run 5K in Elk Grove, Illinois, one couple was there to bring hope, awareness and determination to others, despite such challenges.

BBC Persian interviewed CNADC's Dr. Borna Bonakdarpour while in London for the annual Alzheimer's Association International meeting. The interview (in Persian, with English subtitles), is focused on diagnosis and treatment of familial Alzheimer's disease and recent advances in treatment and prevention of non-familial form of the disease. This discussion extends the impact of CNADC to 110 million Persian speakers around the world.

Less common than Alzheimer’s disease in older Americans but at least as common as early-onset Alzheimer’s in people 45-65 years old, the different types of FTD affect 50,000-60,000 Americans, the Alzheimer’s Association estimates -- most of them younger than 65. One couple has become passionate about educating people on FTD, including medical providers and their own financial planner.

Changiz Geula, a professor of neuroscience at Northwestern University, has been studying brain tissue collected from people who died at age 90 or older. He found that some people who die with sharp minds have brains that are clogged with the gunk associated with Alzheimer’s pathology. That means it’s possible to have an “Alzheimer’s brain” but no dementia. Dr. Geula believes that in cases like this, some actor in the brain — call it the opposite of Alzheimer’s — is protecting neurons from damage. We still don’t know what it is.

Radio personality Art "Chat Daddy" Sims hosted a panel discussion on memory loss, dementia, and its devastating impact on the African-American community. This informative and stimulating hour-long conversation with representatives from Northwestern University, Rush Medical Center, and the community aims to heighten awareness about brain health and REACH to Faith, a wonderful collaborative with academics and six African-American churches.

June Scott isn’t just an active grandmother with a passport full of stamps. She’s also a participant in Northwestern University’s SuperAging study—a research project analyzing the brains of people who seem to be resistant to the detrimental memory changes all-too-often associated with aging.

We all expect that as we get older, our memories start to decline. But that isn't the case for everyone. Scientists have discovered there's a group of senior citizens who for some reason don't experience that decline. They are called "super agers" and the hope is that studying them could unlock the mystery of aging.

A new study published in Science Translational Medicine shows that a neurodegenerative syndrome in older adults called frontotemporal dementia (FTD) shares several fundamental features with a different neurodegenerative disease usually seen in children, called neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL).

You know that feeling where the word or phrase you wanted to say is right on the tip of your tongue, but you just can’t remember it? For many, that’s a way of life, whether through brain trauma, dementia or other neurodegenerative problems. Two groups at Northwestern are working on ways to combat these problems and provide a better life for those living with them now.

As debates of whether to revise or dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA) intensify, there is an opportunity to have meaningful discussions about innovative ways to deliver healthcare. The usefulness of person-centered approaches are being evaluated for those living with dementia. Technology offers one solution for facilitating access to treatment for patients themselves and minimizing the cost of such treatments.

What started as a personal athletic challenge for Jason Boschan has grown into a powerful tool in the fight to cure dementia. In 2011, Jason established Run4Papa with a mission to bring global awareness to curing dementia. Through Run4Papa, Jason has raised over $190,000 in support of cutting-edge research.

Tackling an abnormal protein in the brain may chart the way to holding off the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine is part of a global consortium conducting clinical trials to prevent Alzheimer’s disease years before the first symptoms appear.

Well-established research suggests extensive plaques and tangles in the brain result in the death of neurons and are an indicator of Alzheimer’s dementia, but surprising new research on the brains of individuals 90 years and older who had superior memories until their deaths revealed widespread and dense Alzheimer’s plaques and tangles in some cases, considered full-blown Alzheimer’s pathology.

The Anti-Amyloid in Asymptomatic Alzheimer’s study (A4) is investigating if an antibody could slow the build up of a protein called amyloid in the brain. Amyloid can develop into clumps, or plaques, which researchers believe may play a role in the development of memory loss related to Alzheimer’s Disease.

The CNADC's Communication Bridge is designed to test whether speech therapy, delivered person-to-person over the internet, can relieve some of the speech loss brought on by primary progressive aphasia.

From hiding the illness to telling the world, a husband and wife share their journey with Alzheimer's as part of a remarkable storytelling project at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Relying on clinical symptoms of memory loss to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease may miss other forms of dementia caused by Alzheimer’s that don’t initially affect memory, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) has renewed funding for the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center (CNADC), supporting an additional five years of research, and marking 25 years of continuous grant support.

Northwestern researchers are peering inside the mind to map how we speak, listen to, and comprehend language. The CNADC's Dr. Borna Bonakdarpour is interested in what happens in the brain when words seem to get stuck on the tip of the tongue.

Scientists led by the CNADC's Dr. Sandra Weintraub report that a simple memory test developed in her lab can help tell the difference between primary progressive aphasia (PPA) due to two different protein pathologies—and distinguish both from amnestic dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease.

Local exhibit shines light on artist's progression of disease. The exclusive access to the museum was made possible through the ilLUMAnations program, a partnership between LUMA and Northwestern’s CNADC that uses the art, dance and music to engage Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers.

At the ADRD Summit, working groups of scientists, physicians, and administrators reported on progress the field had made since 2013. They explained their groups’ new research priorities and solicited public comment. The updated recommendations will guide future federal government spending on research into these types of dementia.

Toxic buildup of a protein in the brain's language centers may help drive a rare form of dementia that causes people to lose their ability to use language, a new study finds. Researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago used high-tech imaging to track the buildup of amyloid protein in the brains of people with the language-loss dementia, called primary progressive aphasia (PPA).

The CNADC's Dr. Sandra Weintraub has worked to develop tools that could let physicians diagnose Alzheimer's at its earliest stages. Postdoctoral fellows like Tamar Gefen help advance the research while gaining additional knowledge and mentorship through collaboration with faculty scientists.

Caregivers face an assortment of challenges when traveling with a frail relative, friend or someone with dementia. Packing medications, getting to and from the airport and managing schedules and family activities all can be difficult. Every person reacts differently to stress, and it's impossible to suggest one-size-fits-all tips, but in general, experts suggest scheduling a doctor visit before the trip and emphasize patience and planning as key elements of traveling.

Nancy Gustafson, Bienen School artist in residence and a professional opera singer, hopes to improve the lives of people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia through the power of music. Gustafson is collaborating with fellow Bienen School faculty member Steven Demorest, professor of music education, and Darby Morhardt, research associate professor at Feinberg's CNADC, to develop a more controlled research study and gather additional data.

In a new study, Northwestern Medicine scientists showed direct mitochondrial destruction by a protein from the FUS gene, one of the genes associated with ALS as well as frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and other neurodegenerative diseases.

To help raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and the impact it has on the African American community, Northwestern University’s Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center, and the African American Network Against Alzheimer’s (AANAA) brought the award-winning play, Forget Me Not, to Chicago on July 14th and 15th to sold out crowds at the DuSable Museum of African American History.